Discussions By Condition: Medical Errors

CHANTIX causes severe hair loss

I experienced severe hair loss. Having just been through a very stressful situation, I thought that was the cause. However, that stress was gone when I started taking Chantix on May 23, 2008. Over the next several days, I noticed that in front and the middle back of my head, my hair was thinning quickly. I thought it was due to stress. However, it continued until I am bald in spots in the back of my head. I googled this problem and found one doctor in Austrailia addressing the problem, plus another Chantix user with the same problem. I have no doubt that taking Chantix is the reason for my hair loss. No where in their literature with the product OR on their website do they mention hair loss. I quit taking Chantix 4 days ago. The hair loss has stopped. Having lost my hair due to high dose chemo for breast cancer 10 years ago, I am hoping it grows back within the next 2 months. I am notifying my oncologist and internal medicine doctors who were hoping this would work for me.

I would like to hear from anyone else who took Chantix and had this problem.

22 Replies:

I took Chantix last summer and noticed that my hair was coming out, but it wasn't until March of this year I noticed 3 bald spots on my head. I also thought it was due to a very stressful life. I went to the doctor and they told me it was alapexia. I got 16 shots of steroids into the sites and am due for another round July 1st. My hair is now slowly coming in. My niece also recently took chantix and her hair is coming out rapidly, although she doesn't have bald spots yet.

I took Chantix for 2 months and lost 50% of my hair. My doctor said he has heard of this happening. Pfizer has chosen not to list it as a side effect. Do not take this medicine if you value your looks. It's MUCH easier to quit smoking without it than to deal with hair loss. I have reported this to Pfizer (with Photos) and to the FDA.

I took Chantix for 2 months and lost 50% of my hair. My doctor said he has heard of this happening. Pfizer has chosen not to list it as a side effect. Do not take this medicine if you value your looks. It's MUCH easier to quit smoking without it than to deal with hair loss. I have reported this to Pfizer (with Photos) and to the FDA.I started taking Chantix (Champix in the UK) in April 08 and within a few weeks I noticed that I had a small bald patch on my chin. I finished the treatment in early June but my facial hair carried on disappearing. My wife noticed a bald patch the size of a 50p on the side of my head in November 08 and by Christmas I had another 3. By February I had about 20 bald patches all over my head and very little facial hair. Things have now slowed down and I am at last experiencing some regrowth but I have been told that it could take years..... I really think that Alpocecia should be mentioned as a possible side effect of taking Champix. There are plenty of people out there who have had the same problem.

I started Chantix about three weeks ago, and I have noticed my hair is falling out like crazy! I'm stopping it.I started taking Chantix (Champix in the UK) in April 08 and within a few weeks I noticed that I had a small bald patch on my chin. I finished the treatment in early June but my facial hair carried on disappearing. My wife noticed a bald patch the size of a 50p on the side of my head in November 08 and by Christmas I had another 3. By February I had about 20 bald patches all over my head and very little facial hair. Things have now slowed down and I am at last experiencing some regrowth but I have been told that it could take years..... I really think that Alpocecia should be mentioned as a possible side effect of taking Champix. There are plenty of people out there who have had the same problem.

I took chantix an noticed a small itchy area under my earlobe. Then I had another area on the back of my head that turned bright red, itched, and hurt. I lost my hair in that spot. A few months later I developed another small red area on my face. Yesterday I noticed a small red area on the side of my head without hair. My dermatologist injected the first area on my scalp with steroids without any success. Then I started applying clobetasol, another steroid. It helps a little but my hair has not grown back. I quit taking chantix over 6 months ago. Im headed back to the dermatologist to see what else can be done. I hope I dont end up looking like a mangey dog.

I experienced severe hair loss. Having just been through a very stressful situation, I thought that was the cause. However, that stress was gone when I started taking Chantix on May 23, 2008. Over the next several days, I noticed that in front and the middle back of my head, my hair was thinning quickly. I thought it was due to stress. However, it continued until I am bald in spots in the back of my head. I googled this problem and found one doctor in Austrailia addressing the problem, plus another Chantix user with the same problem. I have no doubt that taking Chantix is the reason for my hair loss. No where in their literature with the product OR on their website do they mention hair loss. I quit taking Chantix 4 days ago. The hair loss has stopped. Having lost my hair due to high dose chemo for breast cancer 10 years ago, I am hoping it grows back within the next 2 months. I am notifying my oncologist and internal medicine doctors who were hoping this would work for me. I would like to hear from anyone else who took Chantix and had this problem.I started taking chantix over a month ago. While it did help me quit smoking, I have also developed scoriasis of the scalp which is very uncomfortable and has led to pretty rapid hair loss in the front of my scalp. I have never lost hair like this, and hair loss does not run in my family so I stopped taking Chantix today to see if the hair loss stops and HOPEFULLY regrows before I have bald spots!

Hair loss is one of the many nasty side effects I got from Champix / Chantix. My hair roots were constantly hurting where it was falling out quite rapidly and my scalp was itchy with lots of dandruff. This started right after I stopped taking the drug and continued for about 2 years after. It is still Itchy and falling out but does not hurt any more . It had stopped falling out for a short time and grew back in the back but started falling out again. My Naturopath thinks it is because of my low Testosterone score. I think Champix significantly lowered my testosterone through the mechanism of the drug ( I read another poster on this site say it increases ones estrogen which can lead to low Testosterone) and the extreme sleep deprivation it caused me (Sleep dep. is know to cause T to lower). This is really devastating because I am only 27 year old male.

I experienced severe hair loss. Having just been through a very stressful situation, I thought that was the cause. However, that stress was gone when I started taking Chantix on May 23, 2008. Over the next several days, I noticed that in front and the middle back of my head, my hair was thinning quickly. I thought it was due to stress. However, it continued until I am bald in spots in the back of my head. I googled this problem and found one doctor in Austrailia addressing the problem, plus another Chantix user with the same problem. I have no doubt that taking Chantix is the reason for my hair loss. No where in their literature with the product OR on their website do they mention hair loss. I quit taking Chantix 4 days ago. The hair loss has stopped. Having lost my hair due to high dose chemo for breast cancer 10 years ago, I am hoping it grows back within the next 2 months. I am notifying my oncologist and internal medicine doctors who were hoping this would work for me. I would like to hear from anyone else who took Chantix and had this problem.I have been using Cantix for a couple months and I too have significant hair loss, I have blad spots and I had full head of hair before I started taking it and I've lost all my hair just in the last couple months taking chantix and it's diffidently the reason for my hair loss.What I'd like to know now that I stopped taking it will my hair grow back?

i took chantix 4 years ago stopped smoking started back this year so i started chantix again. day 7 i noticed a huge hunck of hair gone on the back of my head. this is the only medacine i take, i dont have a thyroid problem and have never had this happen to me. its terrible and so embarrasing. i called the company pfizer and reported this and they took down my info and said they also had other complaints of this. last time i took this i didnt have hair loss. im wondering if it has something to do with taking it the second time. sucks cause it really works but i think id rather keep my hair.

I have the same issue. You mentioned you got steroid injections. Can you tell me if your doctor did this or if you had to go to a dermatologist or other specialist? I took Chantix last summer and noticed that my hair was coming out, but it wasn't until March of this year I noticed 3 bald spots on my head. I also thought it was due to a very stressful life. I went to the doctor and they told me it was alapexia. I got 16 shots of steroids into the sites and am due for another round July 1st. My hair is now slowly coming in. My niece also recently took chantix and her hair is coming out rapidly, although she doesn't have bald spots yet.

I have the same reaction. You mention getting steroid shots/treatment. Did you do this with your physician or a dermatologist or other specialist.I am pretty familiar with all the Chantix side effects and I have never heard of it causing severe hair loss.I am not calling you a liar but I am just saying that this is the first I heard this happening.Can you elaborate about how you noticed your hair loss? I interested in learning more about this.

I experienced severe hair loss. Having just been through a very stressful situation, I thought that was the cause. However, that stress was gone when I started taking Chantix on May 23, 2008. Over the next several days, I noticed that in front and the middle back of my head, my hair was thinning quickly. I thought it was due to stress. However, it continued until I am bald in spots in the back of my head. I googled this problem and found one doctor in Austrailia addressing the problem, plus another Chantix user with the same problem. I have no doubt that taking Chantix is the reason for my hair loss. No where in their literature with the product OR on their website do they mention hair loss. I quit taking Chantix 4 days ago. The hair loss has stopped. Having lost my hair due to high dose chemo for breast cancer 10 years ago, I am hoping it grows back within the next 2 months. I am notifying my oncologist and internal medicine doctors who were hoping this would work for me. I would like to hear from anyone else who took Chantix and had this problem.I have noticed my hair issues also. I hve been off the Chantix for 3 months and am still having issues. I have little sores too that seem to be more on my scap than anywhere and a rash too... so yes I would say this is Chantix also.

My husband had the most beautiful, thick head of black healthy hair. He started taking Chantix and with in 3 days lost almost ALL of his hair, his eyebrows, lashes and some pubes too. That was about 3 years ago. He wasn't living a particularly stressful life or taking any other new meds. His family contacted Pfizer and even tried a lawsuit but they couldn't prove it was the Chantix and not stress. REALLY???? Now, years later, he is still mostly bald with meager patches of random hair on his head. He is just now starting to grow some new little baby hairs on his head but he's lived with this horrible patchy head now for 3 years and it's really taken a toll on his self esteem. Thank god his eyelashes and one eyebrow grew back. The second eyebrow is almost all the way grown back as well. It's ridiculous for Chantix not to take responsibility for this. Steve was only 23 at the time. It isn't like he just experienced premature baldness. It causes such horrible side effects. I don't know if it's worth it to use it to quit smoking. I know it wasn't in my husbands case.

I had been taking champix for 9 weeks and had stopped smoking after 1 week, had the usual side effects but nothing i couldn't cope with, then out of nowhere while in the shower, my hair started dropping out in clumps, this was 2 weeks ago and it is still coming out, i have lost about 40% of my hair, I have always had fine hair.My doctor has referred me to see a specialist, I have to wait 4 weeks for an appointment (Think i will be bald by then). and i am having blood tests but we both know that the champix has caused this.Until yesterday I was still managing to disquise it, but i have got to the stage where there is less hair than scalp. I am devestated and am unable to leave the house incase anyone sees me and can't stop crying.Think very carefully before taking this, i just wish i could turn the clock back 12 weeks.